Sri Lanka, July 24 -- The Supreme Court has ordered the shipping company responsible for the X-Press Pearl vessel to pay USD 1 billion in compensation for the environmental and economic damage caused by the fire.

The court's ruling stipulates that the compensation must be paid to the Secretary of the Treasury.

Furthermore, the court found that the then-State Minister, Nalaka Godahewa, and the Marine Environment Protection Authority had violated fundamental human rights by failing to prevent the tragedy.

The verdict was delivered by a five-member Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Murdu Fernando.

The decision was made in response to a number of fundamental rights petitions filed by several parties, including His Eminence Cardina...